According to the Daily News, an internal MTA memo reads that in case of a future snowstorm, "We may need to shut down the system. We need to change the philosophy of how we operate, particularly in snowstorms. Keeping the service running regardless might not be the best option." Could that happen as early as tomorrow? Bloomberg did admit tomorrow's commute probably won't be smooth for anyone: “Tomorrow morning is going to be a difficult, difficult rush hour. The storm is predicted to be at its heaviest just a few hours before rush hour and there’s no way our city’s plows can get to all 6,000 streets in one or two hours." Please, give them at least a week.
One official told the News that service is expected to continue through this storm, but we've contacted NYCT to see what the chance of a shutdown is. MTA Chairman Jay Walder also said, “If you don’t need to travel tomorrow morning, please don’t. We expect to run service in the morning but there will be changes and no one should leave home without tuning in to the news media or tuning into MTA.info." The News says that vulnerable lines include the N, F, B and Q lines in Brooklyn and open lines in the Bronx, and as Gail Robinson of the Gotham Gazette notes this is a "Brilliant idea when you're trying to convince people not to drive."
Walder tells NY1 there will be customer advocates at command centers to help, but really, you'll just have to wait until you're stranded for seven hours underground to know for sure.
